Accessibility Plan 2025-2027

Mail

Accessibility Agent
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
Corporate Legal Department
10202 West Washington Boulevard
Culver City, California 90232 USA

Telephone

+1-310-244-3460 (USA)

Email

Accessibility_Agent@spe.sony.com

Accessibility Statement

SPE leverages creativity and technology to enhance the accessibility of our products, services, and experiences. Through our commitment to an inclusive future, we aim to create a world where everyone belongs. We strive to enable and empower individuals of all abilities to share Kando (emotion).

Accessibility Priorities – Section 5 of the Accessible Canada Act

The purpose of the Accessible Canada Act is to allow all Canadians, especially Canadians with disabilities, to live in a country without barriers to accessibility by 1 January 2040.

Section 5 of the Accessible Canada Act identifies the following areas where the identification, removal, and prevention of accessibility barriers must be pursued:

1. Employment
2. The built environment
3. Information and communications technologies
4. Communications other than information and communications technologies
5. The procurement of goods, services, and facilities
6. The design and delivery of programs and services
7. Transportation

The following portions of our Accessibility Plan address these priority areas of accessibility.

1. Employment

Crunchyroll is the only Applicable Service with employees in Canada. It has under ten employees, all of whom work remotely.

1. Hiring process: Crunchyroll’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident in its job postings, which note: “Our mission of helping people belong reflects our commitment to diversity & inclusion. It's just the way we do business. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at Crunchyroll. Pursuant to applicable law, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.”
2. Onboarding processes: Within Crunchyroll’s onboarding process, there is a review of company policies, which includes its Disability Accommodation Policy. Employees are encouraged to utilize this policy and to contact their HR representative to ensure that they have appropriate accommodations at onboarding and if any future accessibility accommodations are required.
3. Resources: Crunchyroll has an Employee Resource Group called “Crunchyroll Adapt,” which provides a structured environment for employees to discuss any issues they may have arising from their accessibility needs.

2. The Built Environment

As mentioned, of SPE’s Applicable Services, only Crunchyroll has employees in Canada, all of whom work remotely. By providing the flexibility to work remotely, the service ensures that all employees can choose the environment that best supports their productivity and well-being. The service’s goal is to foster a workplace that adapts to the varied needs of its staff, enabling everyone to perform at their best.

3. Information and Communications Technologies

1. Crunchyroll SVOD Service: The Crunchyroll app, and internal tools, all undergo WCAG 2.1 testing with internal tools prior to publication to ensure accessibility for those with vision or hearing impairment. Crunchyroll regularly performs accessibility audits on its websites and other user experiences. The service also plans to ensure that all of its webpages will be WCAG 2.2 compliant by year 2 of this Accessibility Plan. .”
2. Sony LIV SVOD Service: Sony LIV is finalizing the development and launch of an app screen reader tool on both Android mobile and iOS mobile.
3. SonyKAL FAST Channel: This channel is streamed on third party platforms.
4. Game Show Network FAST Channels: These channels are streamed on third party platforms. This service is currently reviewing its marketing websites for compliance with WCAG.

4. Communications Other Than Information and Communications Technologies

   The Applicable Services do not have anything to report in addition to Information and Communications Technologies above.

5. The Procurement of Goods, Services, and Facilities

   SPE’s Responsible Sourcing Program seeks to increase representation of businesses operated by persons from traditionally underrepresented communities and sustainable solutions. We value contributions from a robust, inclusive, and sustainable supplier network.

6. The Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

1. Crunchyroll SVOD Service: Crunchyroll delivers its streaming platform and content services in a manner intended to be accessible. Crunchyroll also engages with third party firms to ensure that its ecosystem of interactions (e.g., mobile, web, and smart TV apps) are accessible for a myriad of experiences. All programming on the Crunchyroll SVOD service is delivered with English and French subtitles and English closed captioning and Crunchyroll is making improvements to its platform for accessibility, such as text scaling, adjustable closed captions and subtitling, playback speeds, and audio descriptions for all of its content.
2. Sony LIV SVOD Service: Closed captions are available on all commissioned/produced titles and all exclusive licenses entered by the service since June 2024. Sony LIV is finalizing its development of audio-description capabilities for its programs.
3. SonyKAL FAST Channel: The programming on this channel is subtitled though not closed captioned, due to infeasibility related to the financial considerations with which niche services contend.
4. Game Show Network FAST Channels: All of the content on these channels is closed captioned.

7. Transportation

   As noted, among the Applicable Services, only Crunchyroll has employees physically located in Canada, and these employees work remotely. The Applicable Services do not provide any transportation services in Canada.

Consultations

Mindful of CRTC’s guidance around the issue of stakeholder ‘consultation fatigue,’ we opted to utilize the detailed external consultations undertaken by our affiliated company, Hollywood Suite (“HS”), a Canadian broadcast company. HS worked with the Independent Broadcast Group to do meaningful consultations with disability advocacy groups, experts on accessibility, and persons with disabilities such as SignAble Vi5ion, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and DeafBlind Ontario Services. Similar to the Applicable Services, as a broadcaster, HS primarily engages with physical mediums consumed through sight and sound. Therefore, while these consultations included discussions on general accessibility awareness, there was a focus on organizations which represent the needs of individuals with physical disabilities, to better address the specific accessibility challenges presented by broadcasting and streaming services.

The sessions conducted with these organizations focused on several key areas:

1. Workplace Accommodation for Persons with Disabilities: strategies to optimize the built environment to better support the needs of employees with disabilities.
2. Hiring, Retaining, and Promoting Persons with Disabilities: discussions centered on enhancing human resources policies to ensure equitable opportunities for all staff members.
3. Technologies for Optimal Workplace Performance and Communications: discussions examined current and emerging technologies that can facilitate more effective workplace performance and smoother communication for persons with disabilities.
4. Broadcasting Services and Accessibility: discussions addressed how broadcasting services can be improved to ensure they are fully accessible to all audience members.

Some of the key takeaways for HS, which have been considered by the Applicable Services, include:

• Inclusive language: Ensure staff are using inclusive language. Using more person-first language to respect all individuals.
• Enhanced CC for low vision viewers: Review accessibility of its in-house produced content and consider enhanced Closed Captioning by offering different colour options like yellow for better contrast and ensuring consistent placement on screen.
• Meeting etiquette: Normalize announcing ourselves when entering or leaving a room or virtual meeting, or when speaking in meetings, to assist individuals who are blind, have low vision or prefer to have their camera off. When having a conversation with a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, or where a sign-language translator is present, be sure to keep eye contact with/look at the person who is deaf or hard of hearing, and not the translator.
• Accessible materials: Discuss with graphics, marketing and branding teams the standardized use of accessible fonts like Arial and Verdana in written documents and online to offer clear distinctions between characters and prevent blending of letters for people who are blind or have low vision.
• Keep an open dialogue with employees and viewers: Continue to engage with employees regularly to understand and accommodate their specific needs, respecting personal space and the physical aspects of communication (i.e., always ask questions directly about preferred accommodations). Continue to monitor and collect feedback from our viewing public to better identify enhancements for our blind, low vision, deaf and hard of hearing customers and how they interact with our channels and websites.
• Encourage staff participation in accessibility initiatives: Actively promote and support accessibility initiatives within the workplace to ensure a fully inclusive environment where all employees can participate effectively. This includes using accessible venues when organizing social and/or other special company events.
• ASL for live events: Consider the use of ASL (American Sign Language) for major live events and public-facing presentations.

Conclusion

The Applicable Services are committed to the implementation of this plan for the first three-year cycle as we all work toward a fully accessible Canada.

Posted June 1, 2025